MedlinePlus: the go-to website for consumer health information July 2014

Brought to you from the National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus is a free website that offers “information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in” easy-to-understand language. Learn about the latest treatments, look up information on a drug or supplement, find out the meanings of medical words, or get links to the latest medical research on a topic.”

My favorite section, however, is the webpage of surgery videos. These are video recordings of actual surgeries and diagnostic procedures performed in hospitals around the country. If you do not like the site of blood or are squeamish, these are not for you. The list contains procedures like heart transplant, hip replacement, awake craniotomy, and more. As the surgeons operate, they narrate the procedure as well as provide other background explanations.

If you have a health-related question or just want to surf, check out MedlinePlus.